as in brilliancy
the quality or state of having or giving off light
the brightness of the sunshine made me squint after an afternoon spent in a darkened movie theater
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Recent Examples of brightness
But everyone agreed that Girard’s best quality was its brightness—that zing of acidity that balanced its salty, savory bite.
—
Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2025
The moon reached its peak brightness at 8:53 a.m. EST (1353 GMT) on Feb. 12, but local moonrise and moonset times will depend on your location.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Last to arrive are Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a couple whose attachment to one another is hard to parse given his disinterest in her and her youthful, inextinguishable brightness toward him.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
Until then, keep an eye out for Venus, the planet named after the Roman goddess of love, which will reach peak brightness on Feb. 14—just in time for Valentine’s Day.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brightness
Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2025
The moon reached its peak brightness at 8:53 a.m. EST (1353 GMT) on Feb. 12, but local moonrise and moonset times will depend on your location.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Last to arrive are Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a couple whose attachment to one another is hard to parse given his disinterest in her and her youthful, inextinguishable brightness toward him.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
Until then, keep an eye out for Venus, the planet named after the Roman goddess of love, which will reach peak brightness on Feb. 14—just in time for Valentine’s Day.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brightness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brightness
Noun
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Family circles will have wrapped themselves in the holy pleasures of the great occasion, and everywhere the grand old holiday will have been introduced with all the majesty and brilliancy which clings around the hallowed name of Christmas.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American-Statesman,
23 Dec. 2024
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The Red Planet, shining at magnitude –1.4, is 40° to the east-northeast, and the king of planets, Jove, still near its greatest brilliancy for the year at magnitude –2.8, lies 46° west-southwest of Luna.—
Michael E. Bakich,
Discover Magazine,
7 Nov. 2022
Noun
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Fellow Broward County native Jordan Lyle showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman last year, rushing for 400 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2025
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Male competition, the divine mystery of creative brilliance, the fickleness of popularity: All play a part in Amadeus, although that shouldn’t discount how funny this film is, too.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Reliable comedic turns from Rick Hoffman's hapless Louis and Sarah Rafferty's fierce Donna brought a lightness to the show and rounded out the ensemble.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
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The record will explore the question of magic in all of its unexpected manifestations, even the ones that aren’t typically described with the lightness of the world, like grief.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Grace’s young children are photosensitive, which means the curtains must always be drawn and candlelight is the only source of illumination.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
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These factors will help determine the number of light fixtures needed and the correct placement to give an even illumination throughout the space.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The overnight serum has tranexamic acid to brighten, niacinamide to strengthen the barrier, seven Swiss alpine plants for luminosity and gluconolactone to boost cell turnover.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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The planet is the fourth world to be spotted in data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, which was designed to map a billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, cataloguing their masses, luminosities, temperatures and motions through space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brightness. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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